<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>This is where we belong by soulhead</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24072124">This is where we belong</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulhead/pseuds/soulhead'>soulhead</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Formula 1 RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 20:08:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,290</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24072124</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulhead/pseuds/soulhead</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Choosing Brighton's university to complete his 3 years in Architectural and Urban Design was an impulsive choice, but he doesn't regret it in the slightest. Especially not now, when there's this boy next to him who he just met and who is the very definition of cute with his buzzcut, his skin still glistening with pearls of water and his eyes looking at him so openly.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lando Norris/Max Verstappen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>This is where we belong</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>Max knows he should be focusing all his energy on reading the last four chapters of his book. He really should, his exam on Socio-spatial politics is in two days and there's not a single chance his teacher won't put a few questions about this book in the test. But come on, it's a book about land-use dynamics in communism. Land-use. Dynamics. In Communism !</p><p>He thought torture was forbidden by the Human rights convention !</p><p>So unsurprisingly and even through he'll hate himself for it in a few days, his eyes have been instead glued the entire weekend to the live retransmission of the Monaco Grand Prix. From the free practices, the qualifying, the interviews and press conferences to the final race, not a single part of it has escaped his watchful glance.</p><p>«Max, Max, Max !» he hears his roommate chanting as he knocks on his door loudly, just as Hamilton is about to overtake Bottas on the 36<sup>th</sup> lap.</p><p>«Yeah ?»</p><p>«Max, do you want to come with me, George and Alex on the beach tomorrow for a picnic ?» Charles asks as he jerks the door of his room open, looking every bit like he just woke up from a nap and he rushed to his door to ask him this question.</p><p>«Charles, tomorrow is Monday, we have university.» he tries to remind him politely.</p><p>«No, George told me there was some public holiday on the 31rd of May here ! So I thought we could go to the beach, the weather forecast says it's going to be like 17° C outside, it's going to be brilliant !» Charles proposes, his face lightening up in anticipation with every words exiting his mouth.</p><p>«Oh, okay then, yeah sure I'll co-»</p><p>«GREAT !» Charles interrupts him screaming before exiting his room just as fast as he entered it.</p><p>«Jesus.» he mutters to himself as he hears Charles stepping away to god knows where. He goes along fine with his roommate, even if they had a rocky start at the beginning of their cohabitation, but after 8 months, he's still not sure how one can manage to be as loud and devoid of any understanding of social cues as Charles.</p><p>So, just to be sure, he texts rapidly George to check with him if there is indeed a public holiday tomorrow and that it isn't another plan Charles made up to make them all hangout together. It <em>definitely</em> wouldn't be the first time his roommate did something similar. Once he's done, his attention goes back to the race and the small bag of chips he was halfway through eating.</p><p>And later in the evening as he watches Lewis Hamilton lifts another trophy and he texts back and forth with George, his book lays on the other side of the table, long forgotten.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>The next morning, he's lazily sipping on his coffee in their small living room, eyes still halfway closed when he's startled by a loud door slam, followed by the sound of his roommate activating himself through the kitchen.</p><p>Begrudgingly, he gets out of the sofa to see what the ruckus is about.</p><p>«Max ! Finally you're awake ! I went to buy us some groceries for our lunch !» announces Charles as he goes back and forth to the front-door, carrying bags after bags on their dining table «Go get dressed, Alex and George are probably already waiting for us !»</p><p>After an unsuccessful attempt at discouraging Charles from bringing a total of 5 bags with them (filled at 80% of useless garbage, not that Charles even listened to him), they get weird stares from the people they pass by all the way to their bus station. He's almost strangely disgusted to how endeared he is by Charles going overboard as usual to plan one of their hangout. He guesses he's grown soft over him after months of cohabitation. That, or he knows how to recognize a losing battle when it comes to try to resonate his roommate.</p><p>Once their bus stops at the beach, they laboriously carry their belongings to join their friends under a small sun umbrella.</p><p>Immediately after dropping his bag and greeting his friends, he lays down down on his towel, taking a deep inhale of the salty breeze he learned to love since the beginning of his stay in Brighton. Meanwhile, Charles get berated by George for bringing the equivalent of an entire military squad's food to them.</p><p>The beach is beautiful, still deserted at this time and it suddenly feels surreal to be there, feet dangling into the sand, so far away from his homeland.</p><p>Choosing Brighton's university to complete his 3 years in Architectural and Urban Design was an impulsive choice, but he doesn't regret it in the slightest. Not when he can listen to the song of seagulls and be alongside the few friend he instantly clicked with as if they were childhood friends. And especially not when he's far away from the overbearing expectations of his father and the cold, demoralizing weather of the Netherlands.</p><p>«Hey that's Lando !» Alex suddenly exclaims as his friend points out to two distant figures in wetsuit, making Max looks up to the beach. After squinting his eyes, he finally notices that one of them is difficultly trying to get up on his surfboard in the middle of the small waves of the coast. The other one, looking much more agile and experimented seems to help him back on his board.</p><p>«Which one is Lando ?» he wonders outloud before grimacing as he watches the smaller boy of the two falls off once again from his board, which instantly make all his friend burst into laughter.<br/>«The one that just fell ! He's a friend of mine, he's been doing those surf lessons for a university pro- And he feel again !» Alex interrupts himself in a loud guffaw.</p><p>The boy called Lando then seems to take notice of his audience. He waves at them and seems to exchange a quick word with his surfing partner before he starts swimming in their direction. He rapidly reaches the shore and runs toward them to greet his friends enthusiastically.</p><p>Max watches them interact silently, wondering if he's the only one feeling like he's accidentally slipped into an episode of Baywatch. The boy in front of them certainly looks right out of one, with his wetsuit clinging deliciously to his figure and his beautiful golden skin.</p><p>«Lando, this is Max, my roommate !» Charles introduces him when Lando turns to face him.</p><p>«Oh hi, nice to meet you !» Lando says, still slightly breathless.</p><p>«Alright, Max scoot over and leave him a small part of your towel, the poor guy's probably winded after all this falling down.»</p><p>«Oh yeah, no problem, come here.» he says as he pats down the left bit of his towel.</p><p>«Thanks ! Dan said I needed a break anyway.» he says as he points his head at the man still surfing «Do you have water ?»</p><p>«Yeah, probably somewhere, wait a moment !» Alex answers as he scatters to their gigantic cool bag.</p><p>«I didn't know surfing was popular in England ?» Max asks conversationally while his friends starts to bickers once again as they go through everything Charles packed to find the drinks.</p><p>«Oh, it really isn't, but I'm doing that for a project for my Tourism degree ! I have two months of lessons to do and then next year's summer...» he explains before gulping down the water bottle Alex just handed him «Then, I'm going to propose surfing lessons here with Dan at the tourism office to see if we can encourage a growth in surfing cultu-.»</p><p>«But how are you gonna teach anybody surfing if you can't do it yourself ?» Charles blurts out, interrupting him.</p><p>«Oh, well. I'm still learning, hopefully I'll be ready for next year. I wouldn't want to be a weight to Dan in this group project...» a scarlet color is now filling Lando's cheeks, who look deflated by Charles reflection.</p><p>«I'm sure you won't. You've got the whole summer to get the hang of it !» Max reassures Lando while throwing a reproachful glance at Charles, who raises his hand up in surrender. <em>No understanding of </em><em>social cues, at all,</em> he thinks reproachfully in his head, hoping Charles will somehow hear him. «So you're completing a Tourism degree, you said ?»</p><p>«Yep ! I was initially registered in the Engineer degree, but I changed it the last minute !»</p><p>«And how did you met those two engineer nerds ?» he wonders outloud as he points out to Alex and George.</p><p>«George is actually childhood friend of mine ! I've been trying to get rid of him for years but he keeps following me around...» he jokes as he ends his sentence while faking a conspiratorial look and leaning close to him to finish his sentence. Shivers course down Max's body immediately, his every nerves being suddenly hyper-aware of how a <em>very</em> attractive boy he just met is centimeters away from him. Luckily for his dignity, Georges indignantly protest Lando's answer and takes his attention away.</p><p>His attraction to men has always been more timid for woman, but god, this boy next to him is the very definition of <em>cute </em>with his buzzcut, his skin still glistening with pearls of water and his eyes looking at him so openly.</p><p>The two of them then rapidly fall into a comfortable conversation. They do so as they observe George and Alex who are now fretting over the small portable grill they are working on to cook the meat. At least, that's what they pay attention to when they aren't throwing each other shy glances, thinking the other doesn't take notice.</p><p>Daniel eventually joins them too while throwing a bag at Lando and declaring that the smell of grilled meat was too great to resist. They make room for him under the shadow of their sunshade and soon enough, their small gathering can probably be heard across the entire neighborhood with their constant laughter filling the air.</p><p>Just before they start tearing through the batch of grilled steaks Alex is serving them, Lando briefly disappears behind one of the few wooden barracks littering their side of the beach to change out of his wetsuit and into a pair of swimming trunks that Daniel brought him.</p><p>And if Max can't help but let his gaze lingers a little bit longer than what should be appropriate on Lando's lean and toned figure when he returns, well nobody seems to take notice.</p><p>As they spend their afternoon going through Charles food, he learns to be familiar with Lando's awkward sense of humor and his obvious investment for his studies. Max catches himself being uncharacteristically talkative about what ambitions brought him in Brighton of all places and of his life back in the Netherlands. As soon as he mentions staying up late yesterday to watch the Monaco Grand Prix though, their easy-going exchange shifts into a series of delightfully heated debates only two people with the same interest can share.</p><p>Cute, intelligent, athletic <em> and </em> into F1 ? At this rate, he's tempted to poke Lando's arm just to see if he's not just a fragment of his imagination.</p><p>If it was only up to Max, he would have gladly stayed another hour there, gulping down the words coming out of Lando and lazily lounging on the beach. Daniel through, decides otherwise.</p><p>«Alright ! Who wanna go against me beachvolley ?» Lando's friend asks loudly. And before Max knows it, he's ropped into a hour long small, friendly series of the game. Lando and he being teamed up together against Daniel and Alex and with George acting out as their referee. Their team is horrible, they lose almost all of their games and spend more time accidentally running against each other in their haste to save the ball than to score points. Yet, it doesn't seem to discourage Lando who, god bless his heart, is still trying his best and cheers every (rare) time one of them actually manage to pass the ball back to the other side.</p><p>The thing is, it makes focusing on the game awfully difficult for Max, who can't help but crave for every bit of interaction he gets to have with his teammate.</p><p>And maybe it's all the heat of the sun making him light-headed, but...In this moment, he swears he could almost forget this place made of capricious weather, filled with the noise and the sweet perfume of the sea isn't his home, but merely a place he'll stay in for 3 short years.</p><p>And so, at the end of the day when the sun already starts to get dangerously low in the sky and a cold wind starts to breeze in the air, he's not surprised when he pulls Lando apart from their little group just before they all go on their separate ways.</p><p>« Do you want to meet again soon ?» he asks softly.</p><p>He isn't usually this confident when it comes to people he's interested in and who he barely met, but a part of himself tell him to trust his instinct and the flutter of his heart whenever he looks at Lando.</p><p>«Oh, yeah definitely ! » Lando answers, his eyes shining with the same glint of eagerness that reflects in Max own eyes.</p><p>And when they finally say their goodbye to one another, Max throws one last glance to the hypnotic sight of the ocean's waves hitting the shore before he gets on the bus and he finds himself an empty seat.</p><p>Max then slowly close his eyes. A small smile appears on his face as he gets lulled to sleep by the motion of the bus : he's got the feeling he's going to visit this beach a lot more from now on.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>